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ACT 1 The Dawn
Hunter wasn’t sure if things were going fine for once. The Batch had decided to lay low as much as possible on Ord Mantel. Omega was occupied with her training in the various skills the Batchers could offer up. Even Crosshair, since re-joining them after being dragged from the Empire by Wrecker, reserved most of his snarkiness for Hunter as retribution for the past and left the rest alone.
It was … nice.
And despite the unusual serenity of their current life’s Hunter was willing to enjoy it.
He opened the door to Cid’s kitchen. They were all there already.
“You’re late.” Cid greeted him from across the table. As always sitting on his spot and sneaking the best parts of the nuna bacon.
“And a good morning to you too, Cid. How was your beauty sleep?”
Cid, being lovely as ever, just gave him the usual do-not-kriff-with-me-look-boy and sipped on his caf.
“Today is Halloween.” She spoke. “Unlike you unworldly people I check the calendar and stay on track. Still got a lot to do before I open the bar for the holiday. Will you be there?”
“What is Halloween?” Omega enquired curiously.
Everybody turned to Tech. To Hunters surprise Tech did not know on the spot and reached lazily for his holopad.
“Apparently…” Tech spoke while sipping from his cup. “…It is this rotational local tradition. Its origins are from ancient mysticism, and it is a festival celebrating death and the dead. The local population does a variety of rituals and customs to symbolize death and scare away the-“
“Googles, you make it sound as fun as cleaning the bar floor after one of the regulars puked.” Cid interrupted him. “It’s a fun thing. Kiddo over there will enjoy Halloween. Everyone gets costumes. There are tons of candy and crafting. And when the kids are passed out from the sugar rush the adults get together to pass out adult way.”
“You prepare for the latter.” Echo stated. “We will show up.”
“Yes genius, Halloween means business for me. Now if you excuse me but I got to go. See you.”
Hunter moved out of Cid’s way and sat on his place, saving himself the last of the bacon with a precise stab with the fork right before Wrecker could reach it.
“Sooooo, what’s on the agenda today?”
“Halloween, Hunter. Did you not listen?”
“Yes, I did Tech but why should we celebrate that? We are not from here and surely we have better things to do.”
“Like forgetting a brother somewhere?”
“I said I am sorry, Crosshair.”
“Technically we do not have better things to do. According to our logs there are no bounties to be made, the Marauder needs only minor work, Omega would benefit from a day off to regenerate from her training routine, and we are not absolutely broke for once.”
“Woah!” Wrecker started drumming with his index fingers and shock his head in happy excitement.
Echo put down his caf cup and straightened up. “That is great news.” He stated venerably.
“So, can we celebrate Halloween? It sounds fun. Please, Hunter!” Omega looked at Hunter with begging eyes, Wrecker right next to her with even bigger begging eyes.
He sighed.
“It would be good to come together and do something fun. Consider it a team building exercise, Sarge.” Echo pointed out. Tech just nodding in agreement, already busy researching everything about this festivity.
“Okay fine. We will do that.”
Echo nodded approvingly while Wrecker and Omega got up and danced around the kitchen table.
Echo was right. They really could use some time to come together. Crosshair was still hurt from being left behind in the Empire. And Hunter could not blame him for that. They had left Crosshair behind, and Hunter had given the order to do so. Those months apart meant a lot for clones with rapid aging and spending every moment together since detubing before. Crosshair being only mean to Hunter as the one in charge was somewhat of a concession of kindness. But the snipers’ pain was still there, and Hunter was at loss how he could atone, feeling guilty for being annoyed by the snarky jibes and being guilty of not saving his brother sooner.
“Your new definition of fun is eating candy and dressing up as Cid to scare away the dead now? You have changed, Hunter.” Crosshair rasped from the other side of the table. He had moved as far back as the wall behind him would allow it and sat with his arms crossed.
Hunter leaned forward on the table.
“If you don’t want to participate, that is fine, Crosshair. But let’s try.”
“Pah! The only fun part I heard about so far is finishing at the bar. You go and have your kids friendly party.”
Hunter sighed again and opened his mouth to convince Crosshair to give it a try but surprisingly Tech spoke up.
“According to my research there is one type of sweet that you likely will find most enjoyable, Crosshair. It is called a lollipop.”
“Let’s see. We have trick or treating but we can’t do that because Ord Mantel is too sketchy, and we don’t want to draw attention to us by getting into a fight. Same goes for sitting at a bonfire. We can’t do that here because it’s in the middle of the city. We have costuming but all we have in clothing is our amor, blacks and a civvi set each. We have parties or watching horror holos but Omega is not grown yet. And finally, we have divination games, but Tech keeps vetoing it.”
“Divination does not work, and I refuse to waste my time like that.”
Hunter rolled his eyes.
“Fine.”
He glanced at Echo, hoping for help. Echo just shrugged, equally lost on how to do this Halloween.
“I like this holiday so far.” Crosshair teased from the back of the room, the only one content with sucking on a bright pink lollipop in heart shape.
“Well, we have sweets. That’s nice.” Omega tried to sound positive. “Maybe there are other traditions we can participate in with?”
“There is a tradition of carving pumpkins to make lanterns.” Tech read out loud from his holopad.
That was unfortunate. Pumpkins, being native to Corellia, were extremely expensive on Ord Mantel.
“We can use Meiloorun fruit.” Wrecker uttered while checking their collective sweets selection.
“That is technically…a very sound idea. Meiloorun has enough starch content to keep shape when carved. And the little seeds can be cut out easily.”
“Yes! Let’s do that.” Hunter tried to muster all the excitement he could.
“I believe we can share scary stories while doing that. Our experiences will provide most sufficiently.”
“Please, nothing with heights.”
“I have another idea.” Omega smiled mischievously. “We can costume as each other! That way we can do costumes.”
“What do you mean, Princess?” Crosshair enquired.
She turned around to look at him and then all the other batchers.
“We don’t have costumes to dress up as something scary. But we can dress up as each other. As a game! Let’s see. How about Tech and Echo swap, then Wrecker and me and finally Crosshair and Hunter.”
“Alright.” Wrecker, Tech and Echo agreed.
“Absolutely not.” Crosshair and Hunter objected at the same time.
Crosshair starred at Hunter like he could shoot him down like that without his rifle. And Hunter equally felt strangely invasive costuming as his broody brother.
Wrecker laughed.
“It’s just a game, guys. How about a new piece of equipment for the winner the next time we get our hands on some pocket money for new war toys? As motivation to actually try.” The giant batcher offered as an attempt to pacify the situation. “We could get a new vibro blade or a silencer.”
Crosshair’s expression changed, still looking unsympathetic to the idea but now there was some calculation behind those dark eyes.
“I want the brand shit.” The sniper finally agreed, looking challenging at Hunter.
Hunter pressed his lips into a thin line. If Crosshair can swallow his pride, then he could as well. Besides, he really needed a new blade.
ACT 2 The Day
Hollowing out Meiloorun fruit was harder than expected. Omega needed help cutting through the thick skin, but she finally made her fruit into a nice shape, giving the mailoorun a friendly face. Wrecker, turning out surprisingly artistically inclined, made his lantern a little detailed house while Tech just cut out a square.
“It suffices to let out the light.” He explained.
“What an artist.” Crosshair teased, himself cutting a crosshair into the fruit to use it as target practise later.
Echo cut out an aurebesh five.
“This made me think of a friend.” He explained. “He would have enjoyed this.”
Hunter did not know what to say and pressed Echos’ shoulder encouragingly before continue working on his lanterns cut out with half a face resembling a skull just like his own.
“Do we have lights for these, Tech?” Omega asked, holding up her fruit lantern.
“We can put emergency lights in there.” He reached into his belt pockets and got out a few of the little portable light capsules.
“They will burn for 12 standard hours. It would be most efficient to turn them on during the night.”
Wrecker looked disappointed but kept his impatience silent.
Hunter finished cutting and added his lantern to the pile of fruit. The looked odd – funny even. Each one of these infused by their creators’ peculiarities.
“That was fun!”
“Tomorrow we will use them as target practice, Princess. Enjoy them now, they will not last.” Crosshair stated.
“Oh, don’t be too sure about that, Crosshair.” Echo chuckled. “I imagine Wrecker is already planning how to blow them up.”
“OH YEAH!”
The placed their lanterns around Cids’ House, the Bar, and the Marauder before settling back in the kitchen.
“Is it time for stories now? Tell me, what was the scariest mission you ever went on?” Omega asked curiously. Wrecker sat next to her, moving the bowl of mantel mix closer to them both and reached inside.
“349 standard rotations ago we were on Felucia and witnessed how local flesh eating bacteria ate living troopers away.”
Omega and Wrecker stopped munching.
“388 rotations ago we were tasked to track down a trandoshan slaver who specialised in children. We could not safe them and their screams still haunt me.”
Her eyes widened.
“420 rotations ago we went to Coruscant and had to face cannibalistic humanoids living in the deep underlevels of the planet. I recall getting a few limbs thrown at us when we-“
“That is enough scary stories, Tech.” Hunter interrupted. “We did some pretty nasty stuff. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Yes please. I just started moving on from that.” Wrecker admitted.
Omega just whimpered and Wrecker moved her on his lap, hugging her and patting her head.
“Don’t worry, little bean. We faced it all together and made it out alive. Made us braver.”
She nodded. “Can we do something less scary, now?”
Hunter looked at Tech. “What was the last Halloween tradition we wanted to do?”
“I believe it is the costuming tradition. Omega suggested dressing up as each other as competition.”
They decided to have their competition at the still closed bar, using the larger space as a catwalk. Echo and Tech, already full of ideas for their makeshift satire of each other, got up to it first.
Echo reached behind the bar, got himself some straws and two cocktail umbrellas before quickly taping them together. He put on his ridicules straw googles peeking over the rim, whipped out a holopad and started reciting random formulars while parading with a swing in his hips.
Tech adjusted his real glasses and nodded.
“That is a fool’s depiction of me. I believe this is, what is commonly called, a well-made joke.”
“HAHA. I think he got you quiet right. Can’t see a difference between the two of you.”
“Maybe you need glasses too, Wrecker.” Tech replied, having a little mischievous smile on his lips. “My turn now.”
The genius reached to his belt and got out a screwdriver which he took into his right hand. He also took a pair of earmuffs out of Cids lost and found box before pushing a few buttons on his built in amor computer and started playing a best of Echo collection.
“I am Echo… I am worth more than 2.000 credits… You believe a separatist? …”
The real Echo applauded. “I give you credit for the screwdriver and the earmuffs. But I am no fan of the recording. Could be any clone.”
“Under all the clones out there no one has that confident attitude.” Hunter stated with a complimenting nod to the former ARC trooper.
Echo smiled shyly but not displeased. “Maybe.”
“According to my assessment we did rather well, Echo.” Tech declared, still method acting and walking with this certain momentum like he had a kama on while critically smelling a bowl of crackers.
“I believe so too, Tech.” Echo replied with a wink and adjusted his umbrella glasses.
Omega laughed in delight. And Wreckers deep barking laughter followed right after.
Hunter smiled. Maybe this Halloween had been a good idea after all.
“Your turn, Princess.” Crosshair’s raspy voice ringed as always from somewhere far behind.
She nodded and jumped from her seat.
Quickly she took Cids chalk, with which the bars menu was updated on an old board, and coloured her right side and ear with it like Wreckers scar. She then climbed the top of the bar, flexed her tiny little arms and started shouting “I like to blow thing up because I like to blow things UP! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” while also throwing bonbons at the batchers.
They started laughing immediately. The tiny Omega being so over the top and mimicking the massive Wrecker was a sight too odd not to laugh. Wrecker, enjoying the show a lot, clapped.
“Maybe I should add sweets to my explosions too. But I doubt people would appreciate it.”
“Yeah, I think people would not get your genius, Wrecker.”
He smiled and lifted her off the bar.
“I need to get myself some workout tips from you, little bean. You looked strong. And I need to keep up with you so that I can lift you even when you grow taller.”
“Sure, my secret is eating a lot of martel mix.”
“shhhhh, don’t just tell me. That is not how you keep secrets!”
They laughed and Omega got back to her spot.
Wrecker started preparing his costume. He wrapped a white bedsheet around his torso mimicking omegas tunica, got on his knees and skidded towards Hunter. “Hey Hunter, can we explore?”
Hunter was speechless, unsure what he was supposed to reply but also working hard to suppress a laugh at the sight of his giant brother crawling to his lap and begging him like a little child.
He could not help himself and snickered.
Echo and Tech joining in. To his relieve, a slightly blushed Omega chuckled as well.
“Those where my first days off Kamino. I did not know anything.” She mumbled shyly. Wrecker got up and faced her.
“Sorry if it was a bit too much.”
She shook her head and smiled.
“It’s fine. I know it’s well meaning.”
“Well, bean, you are my champion so far with your costume. Let’s see what Hunter and Crosshair have in store.”
Hunter got up, pulled out a water soluble sharpy and drew a crosshair on his face. He then snatched a toothpick from behind the bar as well as Cids not so secret bat, with which she normally scares away unwelcome customers. Finally, he climbed the bar, and got into sniper position, aiming with the bat and twisting his lips downwards while playing with the toothpick.
At first no one reacted. But then they laughed.
“I am not that grumpy looking.” Crosshair objected.
“You kind of are.” Echo replied laughing. “The ladies seem to like it. It clearly works for you.”
Crosshair did not reply, clearly still unhappy and got up.
The sniper took out a box with strategic painting he normally used for camouflaging and roughly painted half of his face black like Hunters Tattoo. He then reached for a kitchen cloth and wrapped it around his head like a bandana and finally took out a butter knife.
He started playing around with the dull knife and posed like a tank, arms and shoulders broad and strong.
A slight smile escaped Hunter.
Crosshair’s image of the sergeant looked ridicules, like one of the action hero from the holos for kids.
The knife fell with a loud clatter on the worn-down floor.
Hunter moved to pick it up, but Crosshair stopped him.
“Leave it. That is what I, Hunter, do. I leave things behind that do not behave like I want them to.”
Nobody laughed.
Crosshair gazed at the former Sargent with a hurt look and left.
ACT 3 The Dusk
With the set of the sun, it got cold and dark in Ord Mantel City. Crosshair, being as withdrawn as usual on top of being angry, was nowhere to be found. Hunter was sure the sniper was close. But he did not know what to say and got tired searching after calling Crosshair a few times over comm.
The Batchers had turned on the lights in the fruit lanterns. The dim light illuminated the cut outs, even giving a room as dreary as Cids bar a pleasant atmosphere.
But then it got late, and Hunter sent Omega to bed before joining the others at the bar.
Still no Crosshair to be found anywhere.
“Did I do something wrong today? Crosshair is still gone.” Hunter finally asked, turning towards Echo next at the bar.
Echo, already a bit tipsy, considered the question.
“Today?” He finally replied a bit too loud “No. Today you did not. But it does not matter to Crosshair. He is still hurt. Like an open wound. It will take time.”
The ARC waved for a refill.
Hunter decided to leave the topic and got up. Drowning his sorrows worked for others. But he did not like it. In the end he still had to face his problems but preferred to do that without a hangover.
“I’ll check on Omega in case she has nightmares from Tech’s horror stories.”
Hunter went up the stairs into the little flat they shared with Cid. On the landing, in the dark he found Crosshair peeking through the door.
The sniper turned around and motioned him to be quiet.
The sergeant creeped closer and looked into the room. Omega was sitting there on the couch in the big central room of the flat and watched a holo.
It was dark except for the display and a spooky meiloorun lantern.
“What is she doing?” Hunter whispered.
“Watching a horror holo.” Crosshair replied.
Omega twitched and hid instinctually from a startling scene in the holo.
Hunter stepped forward only to be stopped by Crosshair.
“Leave her a bit. She wants to be brave too despite being scared. If she wanted to do this together from the start, she would have asked.”
Hunter starred at Crosshair in surprise. “For being so uncommunicative you can be quiet observant, Crosshair.”
Crosshair shrugged and fell silent again.
They watched Omega for a while, tiny little Omega mastering her fears. Her eyes wide from surprise yet locked with determination on the holo.
“I am always observant yet uncommunicative because I don’t know how to say what I want to say.” Crosshair finally whispered.
Hunter did not dare to speak, move or even breath. Having Crosshair talk so openly about himself was a rare fragile moment, like crystal being on the verge of getting melted into a drop of water.
“I spent the last weeks, months even, to figure out how to tell you that you hurt me. You all are my world and you just left me. I can’t help but think about that all the time, makes me say mean things. About being alone and realizing that the Empire gave no shits about me and would leave me to rot the moment I lose usefulness for the imperial meat grinding machine. I was wrong about staying in the first place and it fills me with shame. And I was terrified and behind enemy lines.”
Hunter waited before finally allowing himself to breath in.
Crosshair still looked at brave Omega, his face turned away from Hunter. The sniper had finished speaking, the fragile moment over, the crystal a droplet now.
“You are right.” Hunter finally whispered. “I did hurt you. I am sorry. I am painfully aware of what I did to you, and I know that no matter how many times I’ll say I am sorry it won’t change what happened.”
Crosshair twitched slightly.
“I am glad you are back, Crosshair. And I am glad that you overcame all the lies and pressure of the Empire. I missed you.”
Crosshair’s face derailed into an expression of pain, loss and utter softness.
Hunter could see his brother struggling for the right words but finding nothing.
Finally, Crosshair reached up and placed his hand on the back of Hunters head. Hunter understood and mirrored his brother’s gesture before they both carefully lowered their heads towards each other and slightly pressed their foreheads.
It was peaceful. A kov'nyn among brothers ending a fight.
They stayed like that until Omega whimpered from a particularly scary moment.
“We should ask if she is ok.” Crosshair mumbled.
“Yes.”
They moved into the flat with soft yet noisy steps and carefully called Omega not to scare her any further. “Hey, Princess, sure you want to stay up alone to watch scary movies? Care for some company?”